Grilled Tilapia and Lemon Seasoned Zucchini

It is still pretty hot here in Texas so I wanted to fire up the grill before the cold set in. It's comin' y'all!

I grilled this amazing tilapia and zucchini after marinating it for a few hours. It was delicious.

 This recipe is so simple. You just need a little salt and pepper, lemon, and olive oil. 

Slice the zucchini length wise and then slice in half. Be sure to cut the ends off, as they can be a little tough. 

Zest a lemon.

Put the zucchini in a ziplock bag along with some salt and pepper, the zest of the lemon, and the juice from the whole lemon that was zested. Seal the bag and shake to incorporate all of the flavors. Place in the refrigerator to marinate. I did this in the morning and then took it out for dinner. 

Wash and pat dry tilapia. Season with Gazebo Room Greek Dressing and Zatarains Big and Zesty Garlic and Herb Seasoning. Remove Zucchini from the refrigerator and fire up the grill!  

This is the end product. A nice healthy dinner that is Paleo friendly! 

Shrimp Fried Rice

I made a yummy chicken fried rice with lots of vegetables hidden within. It was so flavorful and could be a side dish or main dish. 

I chopped up red and green cabbage, yellow, red and orange bell peppers, purple onions, green onions, and heated up some frozen peas. 

Shrimp Fried Rice

1 lb. Shrimp, no tail, peeled and deveined

2 c. cooked rice

1 c. chopped red cabbage

1 c. chopped green cabbage

1/4 c. each chopped red, orange, yellow bell pepper

1.2 c. chopped red onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 c. frozen peas thawed

1 egg scrambled

1/4 c. soy sauce (will separate throughout recipe)

1/4 c. honey (will separate throughout recipe)

4 tbsp. rice vinegar  (will separate throughout recipe)

4 tbsp. olive oil  (will separate throughout recipe)

In large dutch oven heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Cook garlic and onion until onion is translucent. Add in Shrimp with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. rice vinegar. Let cook until shrimp are cooked through. Carefully put mixture with sauce into a bowl and put aside for later. Heat remaining olive oil in pan and add cabbage and bell pepper, cook until cabbage is wilted. Add in peas, rice, egg, and shrimp mixture. Add in remaining sauces slowly, stirring to coat rice. 

Chicken and Dumplings

My hubby had to get his wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago so it was my duty as a wife to make sure he had soft foods to eat. After a few days he was able to chew a little more "tougher" foods so I decided to make him chicken and dumplings. I never made this before and have seen a zillion different versions of it. One of my favorite You Tube vloggers, April from CookWithApril, made a similar soup so I decided to put my own twist on it.

I used my crockpot and let the chicken simmer all day in spices. Once it was done I shredded the meat, turned the heat up to high, put the biscuits (dumplings), covered, and let it cook. It was ready in 30 minutes and boy was it delicious. 

Chicken and Dumplings

1 can of refrigerated biscuits

2 chicken breasts

1/2 c. chopped green, red, and yellow bell pepper

1/2 c. purple onion

1 tsp. tumeric

2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

2 c. water

*1 Knorr Homestyle Stock

*You can just use 2 cans of chicken stock but the Knorr adds all of the seasonings so there won't be a need for salt or pepper. If you use the chicken stock you will need to add in salt a pepper.

Place all ingredients, except for biscuits in a crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and put back in crock put, stirring all ingredients in crock put together. Turn crock put to high setting. Cut 5 biscuits into fourths and place on top of the soup mixture. You will cover the entire mixture with the dough so be sure to fit all of the pieces in. You may need to add more biscuits if you have a fairly larger crockpot or if you used more chicken. Cover with lid and let cook for 30 minutes. 

Peach Pie

These yummy peaches were a part of an amazing and quick dessert that I made last week. I had some peaches that were in the fridge. I wanted to make something with them; smoothie, cake, fresh fruit salad......but none of that seemed appealing at the time. I am a big fan of the blog How Sweet It Is. The writer is from Pittsburgh, PA. This amazing city has a special place in my heart. She made and amazing Ginger Peach Galette with Almond Crust. I wanted to recreate this with my own twist and ingredients. I didn't have time to make a fresh pie crust so I just used a frozen deep dish one. I took it out of the foil pan it came in, and rolled it out until it was 1/4 thick and kind of circular around. 

My yummy Peaches!! 

Ingredients:

1 deep dish pie crust

3 peaches peeled and sliced

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 egg + a few drops of water (egg wash) beaten together

1/4 c. of your favorite nut, chopped. I used walnuts

1 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine peaches and next 3 ingredients together. Mix well and set aside for at least 10-15 minutes. Roll out pie crust to 1/4 inch thick. It should be kind of circular around but there is not a particular shape that it needs to be in. Place dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put the peaches mixture in the center of the of the crust leaving at least a 1-2 inch border. Fold the crust over the top of the peaches leaving the middle exposed. Brush the crust with the beaten egg wash and layer with you favorite chopped or sliced nuts. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. of sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until crust is browned and cooked underneath. 

Shrimp Tacos

I made these shrimp tacos out of shear desperation for something quick and easy. It's hot here in Texas and I some days when the temperature is 100+ degrees, I don't feel like turning on the oven or slaving over the stove. These shrimp tacos are fresh and easy to do. I used a cast iron skillet to heat the tortillas. They taste much better than just putting them in the microwave or eating them straight out of the package. 

Ingredients:

Your favorite taco seasoning (I used Penzy's Fajita Seasoning)

1 lb. shrimp

3 tbsp. olive oil

8-10 yellow corn tortillas

2 c. shredded cabbage

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Salsa

Limes

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat shrimp in taco seasoning. I like it spicy so I add about 3 tbsp. of the Penzy's seasoning. Cook shrimp in skillet until pink and cooked through. In a black cast iron skillet, warm tortillas. Put 4-5 shrimp in one tortilla. Top with cabbage, salsa, and lime juice. Enjoy! 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Picture is kind of blurry, but trust me this is great! 

I really tried to get a better picture but the food feature on my camera was not cooperating that day. This was the best photo that I could get. 

I used the Gazebo Room Dressing again. This time I used the vinaigrette version to marinate the chicken and it did not disappoint. I marinated it the night before I was going to make this so that the flavors would be even more intense. 

Once the chicken was marinated I wrapped each chicken breast (you could use thighs too) in two pieces of bacon with then ends of the bacon tucked underneath the chicken so that it would stay put. I put the chicken on a foil lined sheet pan with sides. I cut up some potatoes, added carrots, and sprinkled everything with 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp. olive oil, dash of salt, and pepper. I baked it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. After about 30 minutes in the oven I used a metal spatula and flipped over the potatoes and carrots so that they would not burn. 

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

This yummy mixture is the chicken, pepper, onions, garlic, and rosemary. 

Be sure to chop up the broccoli so there are not a lot of huge pieces. 

I really wanted to make a casserole that was easy to make and that we could eat on for a few days. This casserole did not disappoint. I used fajita chicken that was already precooked. You can find it in any grocery store these days. 

1/2 lb. Chicken

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

2 c. frozen broccoli (defrosted)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c. bread crumbs (I smashed up some seasoned croutons)

2 c. cooked rice

1/2-1 c. heavy cream

1 tbsp. rosemary (I used fresh)

1/4 c. onion (I used a purple onion)

1/4 c. red, green, or orange pepper

1 tbsp. garlic (minced)

1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice. In large skillet saute peppers, onion, rosemary, and garlic. Add chicken and saute together until chicken is hot and cooked through. Chop up broccoli and add to skillet. Add can of mushroom and chicken. Stir to combine all ingredients. It will be a little thick. Add rice and stir together. Now you want to add the heavy cream. Stir the mixture together until it is all creamy and delicious looking. It should not be difficult to stir or clumpy. If it is add more heavy cream to thin it out. Add salt and pepper or any seasonings you would like. I added a little dash of Tabasco for some kick. Be sure to taste it before you do the next step. You want to make sure you added enough seasoning. Put mixture in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and bread crumbs have begun to brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before you dig in.  

Salsa Chicken

This chicken is so flavorful and there are only 2 ingredients, chicken and salsa! (and maybe a little olive oil) My friend P-diddy told me about this and I really wanted to try it. She said she only tried it using the Trader Joe's brand salsa, and since I love that salsa SOOOO MUCH I knew I needed to make this. 

I used 3 defrosted chicken breasts. Put in a pan with a little olive oil and saute on both sides for 3-4 minutes only to brown. Add 3/4 of the salsa jar to the pan, put on med-low heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is fully cooked through. Once cooked, take chicken out and shred with a fork. Put the chicken back in the pan with all of the salsa juices and add the rest of the salsa from the jar to the pan. Mix completely and let simmer for 10 min. on low. That's it! 

This is so easy! Once the chicken was done I put it in a stand and stuff taco shell, added some cheese on top for the hubby, and baked in the oven for 8 minutes on 400 degrees. He devoured three of them. 

I am sure you could probably use another jar of your favorite salsa if you can't get a hold of the Trader Joe's brand. I haven't tried it with anything else but I am sure it would probably be good.  

Turkey Parmigiana

I has some turkey cutlets in the freezer and could not figure out how I wanted to cook them. I knew I wanted something saucy or grilled. I just didn't want to go the stuffed, Thanksgivingy (is that a word?) route. My husband is not a turkey lover at all. We always have to make a ham for him for Thanksgiving or Christmas. He is such a picky eater that I find myself "disguising" food quite often so that he will eat it. This recipe is a great disguise. You cannot tell that these are turkey cutlets. You could totally use chicken, veal, or any other meat. If you are in a bind and only have turkey, then this would be a great meal!

I added some roasted asparagus (which the hubby would NEVER touch) and it was a perfect meal! 

Turkey Parmigiana

4 turkey cutlets
1 jar marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's brand)
3 tbsp. oil
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
*pasta of any kind

Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Melt butter and oil in large skillet on med. high heat. Dust cutlets in flour and shake off excess. Place in heated skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until sides are golden brown. Once turkey is cooked through, take out of pan and place on plate to the side. Put entire jar of marinara sauce in pan. Stir and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan to mix in the marinara. *if you burned the turkey then use a new pan. Place the turkey in the sauce being sure to cover it completely within the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid, place on low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. During this time you can boil your noodles if you want to put the parmigiana over it.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over each of the cutlets in the pan and put the lid back on. Once the cheese melts, it is time to serve up!


*roasted asparagus

Heat oven to 425. Wash and dry asparagus. If you don't dry them they will steam in the oven instead of roasting. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes.

Fish Tacos

These fish tacos are great for the summer. I love to put any kind of fish I have on the grill, add a little seasoning, and put it in a burrito.

The day I wanted to make this it was raining outside. I had to improvise because this was on my menu, so I heated up the old non-stick skillet and got to work. For this recipe I used Tilapia. I wanted a lighter fish that would cook pretty fast. Flounder, Perch, Sea Bass or any type of thinner white fish would work as well.

Yes my friends, I added cheese (lots of cheese!), sour cream, cilantro, and a little salsa. Trust me the fish is in there. It's on the bottom of this deliciousness.

Fish Tacos

4 Tilapia Filets 

4 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cajun seasoning

2-4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1-2  tbsp. oil; swirl to coat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Add salt and pepper to flour and stir to combine. Wash fillets and pat dry with paper towel to remove excess water. Sprinkle fillets evenly with cajun seasoning and rub to ensure seasoning is incorporated all over each fish. Dredge fillets in flour. Shake to remove any excess. You just want a nice dusting not a coating of the flour. Add 2 fillets to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1-2 tbsp. oil and 2 fillets. 

Break the fish up into bite-sized pieces and add to tortillas with your favorite taco add-ins. 

Rice Bowl (Mock Chipotle)

I made this super easy, super yummy rice bowl today. It's really simple to put together you just need the ingredients. Think Chipotle Restaurant but this time you can add as much meat as you want, because we all know they skimp on the meat sometimes. Love you Chipotle but y'all be trippin'!

I found this amazing rice at Target in the frozen vegetables section. I always get peppers, onions, and corn in my bowl so I was super excited when I saw this:

Pop this baby in the microwave for 5 minutes and you have yummy rice. 

Next comes the meat. I also bought this fajita meat to make the other night for another dish and I had some left over. 

Put meat in a skillet with a little olive oil to brown up a bit. Super easy! 

I added some cheese, lettuce, salsa, cilantro, and sour cream and voila, instant rice bowl. It was sooooo good. It is perfect for a lunch or dinner. Feel free to add whatever type of meat you want. Next time I am going to add shrimp. I bet that will be so tasty. ENJOY! 

Rice Bowl

Cilantro Lime Rice (Archer Farms from Target is what I used)

Beef Fajita (Use whatever kind of meat you want)

Cheese (I used shredded cheddar)

Sour Cream (Pile on as much as you want)

Salsa (I used Trader Joe's brand because it's my favorite)

Lettuce (I used mixed greens)

Cilantro (dice up and sprinkle on top once complete) 

Pile it all in a bowl and enjoy. 

Pork Tenderloin with Preserves and Red Potatoes

These two herbs do wonders for pork. 

 Rosemary and Thyme

These herbs combined with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil are amazing! 

Summer is here and that means no work for me. School is out and I can focus on my other passion, cooking. I have been a terrible cook this past school year. Nothing came out right. Everything was too salty, overcooked, or just plain gross. My poor husband had to deal with it, though he often suggested we eat out. We spent WAY too much money doing that so I was sure that once school was out I would begin to focus on cooking much better, healthier meals. 

Pork Tenderloin Recipe

1-2 lb. Pork Tenderloin (all natural)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1tsp. Crushed black pepper

2-3 tbsp. chopped, fresh rosemary

2 tbsp. chopped, fresh thyme

1 tbsp. Herbs de Provence

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

I started today with a yummy pork tenderloin. I just picked up a little all natural pork tenderloin (organic) from the grocery store. This tenderloin does not have any additives or flavoring in it, which is what you want since you will be adding all of your flavoring yourself. 

Rinse the tenderloin off and pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a gallon sized plastic bag. Add salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and olive oil. Mix all around making sure to cover the meat with all of the seasonings. Get all of the air out of the bag and seal it shut. Put it in the fridge and let it marinate 4-6 hrs. I turned it over after 3 hrs just to make sure all of the juices were flowing.

Take tenderloin out of bag and place on roasting rack (I covered my roasting rack with foil for easy clean up). You want to bring the meat to rest outside of the fridge for a bit. Cold meat doesn't do well straight out of the fridge and into a hot oven.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Meat should no longer be pink and juices running clear. Take out of the oven and let rest for 10-15 min. Slice thin or thick. 

Preserves

1/4 c. Fig preserves

1/4 c. Apricot preserves

1/3 c. water

1 tsp. vinegar

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring to mix. Let boil for 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Take off of heat, stir, and let stand for 5 min.

Red Potatoes*

1/2 lb. red potatoes

1 tbsp. diced garlic

1 tbsp. chopped rosemary

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt. 

Slice red potatoes in half and place in water. Bring to a boil until potatoes are soft. Strain. Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Sautee garlic and rosemary in the oil. Place the potatoes, cut side down into the skillet with olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Once the cut side is crisp, take out and sprinkle with kosher salt.

*I have to credit my dear friend at work for the potato recipe. Thanks LAB!